Silence Underneath
by Miniyuna
Summary: In less than a day, Ben had been captured and forced into slavery. His name, his freedom, everything was taken away from him. All that matters is survival. But what is there to live for when the whole world thinks you're dead? rape, DARK
1. The End Came Anyway

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"_The survival of the fittest is the ageless law of nature, but the fittest are rarely the strong. The fittest are those endowed with the qualifications for adaptation, the ability to accept the inevitable and conform to the unavoidable, to harmonize with existing or changing conditions."_

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**Silence Underneath**

.one

The End Came Anyway

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"_Miss Gwendolyn, is it?"_

"_That's right."_

"_If you wouldn't mind, could you tell us what happened that night?"_

"_Why do you need me to tell you? You know what happened. Everyone knew what happened that night."_

"_True. But the only perspective we don't have is yours. Now would you be so kind Miss?_

"…_Alright. _

_It happened during one of our usual stakeouts on a building roof late at night…"_

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Quiet. The night was quiet.

"Ben, something's wrong. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Gwen."

"Pfft."

Well it was quiet.

A frown quickly formed on Ben's visage due to the matter mutant's comment, who was sitting nonchalantly against a concrete wall. Emerald eyes glared at his onyx ones, the former clearly suffering from worry and fatigue.

"What does that mean, Kevin?" Traces of irritation followed his words as they left. His cousin placed both of her hands firmly on his shoulders to prevent him from doing anything he might regret, judging from the way he had been acting, just in case.

"It means Tennyson, that you are a crappy liar, and when something's wrong I can read it off your face like a book."

Despite not being enemies anymore, the tension and the past was still there. There wasn't a single waking moment of Ben's life that he wasn't thinking that. Acknowledging he was right made it that much harder. Ben sighed, relaxing his tense body, he eased down onto the hard floor. Gwen released her hold on Ben, and kneeled down next to him.

"Kevin's right for once, Ben. You don't look too good. What's wrong?" Her voice was caring, concerned. As of late, it was all too often.

"It's nothing really." He lied. "I…I just have a bad feeling about this." It was an overused excuse.

Changing the subject, he turned and directed another glare at Kevin. "I thought you said that DNAliens work undercover, and barely go out into the city."

He replied lazily. "They do. But I got a call sayin' that they're working on something heavy, and we're gonna be there to stop them. They won't even see it coming."

They were atop a random work building that belonged to the ever so eventful city of Bellwood. The city lights shimmered, matching the stars of the crisp night sky. The Tennyson Cousins had told their parents that they would be studying late at the library. Kevin well, he didn't need an excuse. They were told of this infamous call only a mere hour ago. Excuses had to be formed quickly. Gwen's parents trusted her, and Ben used Gwen to solidify his 'study date'. It was simple.

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"_A stakeout?"_

"_That's correct."_

"_Now why would a bunch of teenagers risk their life day in and day out?"_

"_We took it upon ourselves to protect the people who were oblivious to what was going on. We were trying to help. We were the good guys."_

"_Yes of course. Carry on."_

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The wind was slight, thankfully. It meant their scent wouldn't be able to travel on the air, keeping their presence unknown.

Another sigh. "What ever you say Kevin. I just hope they show up soon so we can get this over with."

His aura was troubled, she could sense it. Her eyes glimmering with worry, she touched her cousin's shoulder with a reaffirming grip.

"Ben, do you want to sit this one out? I'm sure we can take out a couple DNAliens without you."

Immediately he shrugged off her shoulder and stood up. "I'm fine." He walked over to the edge of the roof and shot another look at Kevin. "This better not be fake."

"Would you relax Tennyson? Yeesh. Take that stick out of your butt why don't ya-OW!"

"Cut it out Kevin!"

"Dude, Gwen you hit me with a pink hand! Not cool!"

She canceled the pink mana before she was tempted to hit him again. She gave him the stern look that she and Ben both shared. Kevin rubbed his arm, pouting. Gwen hit him again, this time with her fist.

"Don't pout. It doesn't suit you."

Before he could reply with a snarky comeback, the device next to him began beeping rapidly. All three snapped to attention and peered over the roof's edge. Kevin barely finished, "They're here! DNAlien truck 8 o'clock!' to find that Ben had already gone alien.

A quick flash of green engulfed his body, and became the creature he called Chromastone in mere seconds. Skipping his traditional calling of the name, Ben jumped from the roof, landing directly in front of the truck, flipping it over. Smoke and fire soon covered the quiet streets, with the remains of the car skewed out along the asphalt, along with ten DNAliens. Ten very angry DNAliens.

Pink mana steps soon became translucent as Gwen and Kevin stepped off of them and firmly onto the ground. Gwen's eyes widened.

"Kevin! I've never seen Ben so aggressive before!" She swatted a DNAalien away with a quick blast with another one rushing toward her. More mana fixated around her fist, picked the alien up and tossed it into another one.

"I know!" Asphalt swiftly became his outer shell, and punched two incoming aliens in the gut. "I didn't know he had it in him!"

Unbeknownst to them, a police officer had seen the car crash, and quickly called for backup which was now rushing to the scene.

Ben blasted alien after alien away with Chromastone's energy beams, with considerably more force than usual. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the flashing lights of red and blue and shouted, "Gwen Kevin, the police!" before knocking them out of the way into a alley.

However, he made one fatal mistake. In the process of pushing his teammates to safety, he had taken his eyes of the enemy.

Together, they over powered him, and knocked him into a nearby glass window of a uninhabited store. The DNAliens fled the scene as quickly as they came, and by this time, a news crew pulled up behind the numerous cop cars, surrounding the area where Ben had fallen.

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!"

Gwen and Kevin peeked out from behind the wall, looking at the chaos before them. A burning wreck. The police. The Media. The scattered glass where Ben-

A sudden gasp. "Oh no! Ben!"

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"_Miss Gwendolyn, are you alright?"_

"_Fine. I'm fine."_

"_Can you remember the rest?"_

"_Yes. I remember…"_

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Pain.

Glass.

Lights.

Shouting.

"I repeat! Come out with your hands behind your head, NOW!"

Blurry.

Everything was blurry.

Slowly he stood up.

He reached for his forehead.

More pain.

Flashes.

A human hand.

**His** hand.

His eyes shot open to meet those of the police officers before him. All guns were fixated on him.

**On him.**

He motioned his hands forward to explain. "No wait! I'm-"

"DON'T MOVE!" The officer's hand slipped.

It acted like a reflex.

The trigger was pulled.

The shot was fired.

A body fell.

Gwen cried.

"**BEN!**"

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"Carl, turn on the news, will you? I want to check the weather for tomorrow again."

Her husband sighed, turning to the channel as he sat down on the couch. "Honey, even I could tell you it'll be sunny tomorrow."

"I know." She walked into the living room setting down the large basket of clothes. "I just want to double check. I hope Ben comes back soon. It's getting late. It was nice of Gwen to help him."

"Sandra…."

"What-"

"**This is Tricia Danaka of 9 News, here to report that there was a disturbance downtown. A truck crashed under unknown reasons, and following the crash, a young teenager was shot during a police misfire. The teen was identified as Benjamin Tennyson, and has been confirmed dead."**

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"_There wasn't even a funeral. The government took his body away, before his parents could even say goodbye."_

"_I'm sorry Gwendolyn. It must have been very hard for you."_

"_What made it even harder was… I know I could have done something. Anything!"_

"_Pardon me for asking, but how in the world could you have possibly done anything?"_

"…_Is that all you needed Dr. Alpert?"_

"_Indeed. Thank you so much for sharing the story with us today, Gwendolyn. It was very brave of you, even after all this time."_

"_All this time? It's been fifty five years since my cousin died, Dr. Alpert. Honestly, I would rather forget it, then hear it everywhere I go."_

"_I see. Again, I'm sorry for your loss. We all are. Thank you for coming Gwendolyn."_

"_Goodbye doctor."_

"_Goodbye."_

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White.

The world was white.

Not the world, a room.

A big white room, with black windows.

Black windows with white dots.

Space. It was space.

Vision was blurry. Hands were immobilized. Air was thick.

The light burned.

Glimpses of green were seen.

Ben opened his eyes.

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	2. Domus Dulcis Domus

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**Silence Underneath**

.two

Domus Dulcis Domus

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Ben opened his eyes.

The intensified brightness of the room he was apparently residing in at the moment almost caused him to shut them again.

His head was pounding.

His memory unclear.

He took a deep breath and flinched. He felt a sharp, burning pain in his chest and looked down.

"What- "

Ben found himself strapped to a very large, very alien table, with his chest bare which had a odd device covering the area where his heart would be. His eyes scanned the room quickly, finding odd machinery and wires covering the walls and hanging from the ceiling in tangles and disarray. There was also a giant window. The emptiness of space seemed to be taunting him. He pulled against his restraints before stopping suddenly.

The air became frigid and tense, causing an uncomfortable silence between Ben and whomever or what-ever was in the room with him.

"Despite being lowly and outdated earth technology, that bullet was surprisingly difficult to remove. Consider yourself lucky."

The voice sent shivers up Ben's spine. It was cold, almost metallic like. It echoed off the walls of the large room, sounding as if the voice was everywhere at once, and it frightened him.

On instinct, Ben made an attempt to reach the Omnitrix, only to find that his hands were also bound by two strange containers connected with each other, constricting any hand movement at all. He was surprised at himself that he didn't notice it sooner, and mentally kicked himself for being careless.

"You didn't think you could turn into an alien anytime and escape, now did you? Tsk Tsk. "

Ben screamed at the voice. "What do you want?! Show yourself!"

"Very well."

Before he could even blink, a tall, daunting, disturbingly gaunt alien with numerous facial spikes, and spikes that ran up and down it's back advanced out from behind the table with long slow strides. Ben gazed up at the alien in awe, his eyes meetings its silver slit ones. He was breathless.

"Who?"

The alien smirked. It had two sets of fangs than ran in opposite directions, making its demented smile look more unnatural and grotesque. Its immensely lean body completely towered over Ben, looking down at him before it presented him with a curt bow.

"I, human, am Rokknar. I am an Unukian, hailing from the planet KalHai, from the darker half of the galaxy it resides it. My species young one, is famously known for being the one of the most ruthless, deceitful, and powerful beings in the entire Universe. Surpassing even the Chimera Sui Genesis. You've come across one of their kind, correct?"

Ben glared down the alien, with harsh, piercing eyes. Regaining his bount of courage that has always defined him.

"What do you want with me, Rokknar?" His voice was strong, demanding. Even in his vulnerable state, he refused to show any weakness.

"Heh, I'm want you call a, "talent scout" if you will. I travel planet to planet, looking for the strongest specimens they have to offer."

"Then what? You bring them all together and make them fight to the death for your entertainment?"

Rokknar laughed at this. "Oh no, dear human. Perhaps it is better to show you."

He snapped his elongated fingers, and the table that Ben was tied down to started to elevate, and floated towards the window.

Emerald eyes widened.

He was on a enormous alien space station, its height easily beating the size of the Empire State Building. It had the word '_**Cloacina' **_written on one of the outside walls on its descent down. The station was on a colossal pale planet, and on it, there were thousands of aliens, of all shapes, sizes, and species. And all of them appeared to be mining. By force.

He was speechless.

Rokknar chuckled. "Welcome young one, to Cloacina, the largest slave labor planet in the Universe. Welcome human, to your new home."

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Chestnut colored eyes sadly gazed at the small Mechomorph in her lap, who beeped in response, hoping to get his owner smiling again.

Julie sighed, picking up a small picture frame that held a silly, but sweet picture of her and Ben.

**Ben**

It had been a week since he passed away. And two since she last saw him. She left with her parents on a short trip, and he was there to wish her a safe travel. It was then where they shared their first, and last kiss. When she heard news of his death, her and her family rushed home to already find that his body was whisked away by the government. She was heartbroken.

But yet, she felt that something was misplaced. Not quite right. She was suspicious of the governments actions, and wondered why no one even questioned them yet.

There was a faint knock on her door, and it opened slightly with Gwen's head peeking out.

"Julie? Can I come in?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

Gwen opened the door and shut it quickly, walking over to the ashen girl and putting her arm around her shoulders as she sat down.

"How are you feeling? Are you doing okay?" Her voice was sad, but still held the caring quality she had been known for.

Julie nodded meekly, hugging Ship close to her chest. "Yeah I'm fine."

Jade eyes lowered sorrowfully to the floor.

"I'm sorry you never got a chance to see Ben. I could have done something. I could have prevented this."

"What do you mean?"

She removed her arm from Julie's shoulder and ran it through her auburn locks, looking a shade paler than usual, lacking their normal vibrant color.

"At the start of the stakeout, I noticed Ben looking tired, way more tired than he normally he is. I mean, before he was never low on energy, he had the most out of all of us. I got worried, and I asked him if he wanted to sit this one out but he refused. I should have been more strong, I should have done something!"

This time it was Julie who put her hand on Gwen's shoulder reassuringly.

"Gwen, you had no idea."

"And then, when the DNAliens came, he was ten times more aggressive, and then-"

She stopped herself. She couldn't lose control. Not here. Not now. She had come here to support Julie. She didn't need to remind her of Ben's-

"I don't think Ben's dead."

Gwen's eyes widened at Julie's sudden outburst. She wasn't prepared for this, nor did she expect it. She blinked.

"What?"

"He's not dead, Gwen. He can't be dead!"

"Julie…"

The smaller girl got up off the bed, tossing Ship onto her pillow.

"There's no way he can be dead! After all the government shipped him off to who knows where! They could have done something to him! They could have organized this for all we know! They're probably treating him like a science experiment as we speak! We have to call Kevin! We have to go save him-"

"Julie!"

Gwen got up off the bed, and wrapped Julie in her arms as she started sobbing.

"I'm sorry Julie. I've tried tracking him, I've tried locating him, but there was nothing. We both have to accept the fact that Ben really is gone. I'm sorry."

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"_Welcome human, to your new home."_

A sudden rage took over Ben's body.

"My new home?! Are you crazy?! I don't belong here! Do you really think you can keep me here and treat me-"

"**Silence!**"

The back of his hand flung swiftly across Ben's face, leaving a large red mark in it's place. In return, he said nothing but glared deadly at the towering alien.

"That's better. Make sure you control that temper around your superiors. We wouldn't want that happening again, now would we?"

His glares intensified, remaining silent.

Rokknar smirked. "Good. Now, the reason why you're here, is because of that Watch on your wrist, the Omnitrix. And instead of removing it, we decided to put you to work and not waste a good body. The mining operation has come to a halt, you see. Here on Cloacina, it's native mineral is the rare and magnificent Sonarite, which is used to power this station, and it's very useful when it comes to buying more slaves. Traders **love **the stuff. However a few weeks ago, the slaves have been mining and mining away, and no Sonarite was to be found. This is where you come in, human. The aliens in the Omnitrix are able to find and mine a tremendous amount of the glorious mineral. So, we simply went to the planet with the original Omnitrix, yours, and set up a simple scenario to trap you and bring you here. So here you are. Wonderful how things work out, hmm?"

A low growl escaped from Ben's throat. "You? You set the whole thing up? The Call? The DNAliens? The Police?"

"Correct. Now, I didn't catch your name. Care to repeat it?"

His tentacle like fingers grabbed Ben's jaw. Silver staring into emerald.

Ben muttered. "It's Benjamin."

The alien chuckled, releasing Ben from his grip. "How convenient. It bears resemblance to one of our more popular names on Cloacina. Benjamin sounds to royal for a person of your status. From here on out, you will be called, and be referred to as Benn'ak. It suits you. You'll find out what it means soon enough."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. In less than a day, he was stripped of his humanity, his rights, his _name_, and forced into a world of slavery and misfortune.

_How did this happen?_

He felt the restraints on his legs come undone, and landed in on the white, reflective floor with ease. The hand cuffs remained covering his hands but disconnected with each other as he was tossed a pile of clothing.

"Since you are human, you require such irritating material. Put them on, then a guard will direct you to your new room."

Ben flinched at the mention of the word '_room_'. He walked behind the table quickly to change his shirt and pants, which was irritatingly difficult due to the lack of use of his hands. As soon as his walked back out, the cuffs re-connected with each other. Ben furrowed his eyebrows and frowned.

His "clothes" were nothing more than white rags, the shirt obviously too large for Ben's smaller stature. Luckily the pants fit, which resembled sleep pants more than anything.

Part of the wall disappeared which was revealed to be a door, and had a some kind of alien under some light, but no doubt sturdy armor, he could only assume to be the guard.

He heard Rokknar whisper to the guard, "Take him to Cell #87544. Trojjin's cell. He has a open space." Before sending him over to Ben.

The guard hooked a leash of some sort to his cuffs, and began to lead him away.

Before he exited the white room, Rokknar smirked at him. His snowy eyes glaring into his.

"We'll meet again soon, Benn'ak."

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The guard led Ben down the shaded hallways, giving him a good glimpse of his new home.

It looked like a prison.

He was pretty sure that it **was** a prison.

Cellblocks ran along the dirty walls on each side, all containing two aliens, all watched him closely as he walked by. After a walk that felt like forever, the guard reached the cell he would be staying in. His _room_.

The cell door flung open, and the guard yanked Ben inside, removed the leash, and closed the gate.

He simply said, clearly having issues speaking in English, "Work starts in an hour." And then he was gone

Ben sighed and turned around to get a good look of his surroundings. Everything was concrete. Or rather the alien equivalent of concrete. The walls, the floors. Even the beds were, which he assumed were the giant stone slabs that were sticking out of the wall. He walked over to the nearest one and sat down, sighing again. The rooms only light source was a piece of glowing stone hanging from the ceiling, revealing the body of his cellmate.

He was expecting his cellmate to be some kind mismatched and grotesque alien that had horrible and disgusting breath and body odor.

He was honestly taken aback by the appearance of the fellow prisoner.

Ben gasped. "You, you're a human?"

He was a human. A very muscular, well built aged male that apparently went by the name 'Trojjin', easily surpassed Ben in height. His chest was bare, allowing him to see the numerous scars covering his body, no doubt due to his time here, which was god knows how long. His hair was long and scraggly along with his beard, which resembled the color of dried blood, it's vibrancy long gone. His golden eyes glimmered in the stone light, sneering at the weaker boy. Ben gulped.

"Yeah, I'm human." His voice was worn, ragged, dangerous. He spoke in a low tone, but was loud enough for Ben to hear him.

"You must be that Omnitrix kid. What's your name?"

Ben looked the larger man in the eyes. They were cold. Piercing. An uneasy feeling quickly formed in the pit of his stomach.

_**Uneasy.**_

"Uh, it-it's Benn'ak. W-Why?"

He was surprised at himself. He had shown such fearlessness earlier when he was talking to Rokknar. What happened? Being in the same room with this _man _suddenly sent shivers up his spine.

Trojjin chuckled, walking towards Ben with every word, which sounded like poison, dripping slowly into an open wound.

"No reason. I just think it's a perfect name for someone like you. Considering your predicament."

Ben shuddered. "What do you mea-"

In mere seconds, Trojjin's fist connected with Ben's face, immediately blurring his vision. He hardly felt the blood trickling down his chin.

He couldn't see.

He couldn't hear.

Before he could even register the pain in his jaw, the larger man yanked him up by his hair, which was met with a quick yelp, and pulled Ben up to his eye level.

A cheshire like grinned formed on Trojjin's face. His breath burning Ben's nostrils. He twisted, trying any attempt to get away.

His powerful golden eyes met Ben's fragile olive ones.

"Your name means '_slave_'."

In one fluid motion, he slammed Ben face down onto the rock bed.

Ben's eyes widened in fear. Pure fear.

He pleaded. "No!"

He heard the rustling sound of clothing being removed behind him. His own came first.

"**NO! **No don't! _Please!_" His cried went unheard.

Trojjin laid his body on top of Ben's small frame, overpowering him with little to no effort. He leaned in close to his ear.

His breathing was sharp, _confident_.

Ben's breathing was rigid, _scared._

"Here's a nice bit of information for you _Slave. _I've lived on this hellhole since I was five years old. If no one came for me, what makes you think anyone would come for you? The whole world thinks you're _**dead**_."

**Dead.**

Everyone thought he was dead?

_Mom...dad...Gwen...Julie...Kevin...Grandpa?_

He closed his eyes.

A whisper.

"_Please…_"

A smirk.

"You belong to me, Benn'ak. You're _mine_."

His back straightened.

In no way could Ben even prepare himself, mentally or physically, for what was about to happen next.

The pain came swiftly, viciously. It never went away.

At first, silence. The shock overwhelmed him. He couldn't comprehend what was happening to him.

Another thrust was all it took to send Ben's helpless scream echoing down the dark hallways of his new home.

_Home sweet home._

The larger man tore through him, pounding into him.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Overpowering him in every way possible, his hands held a intensely fierce grip onto Ben's hips. He hammered against his weak body without any remorse. Rapidly gaining speed with every thrust. Ignoring the blood that was oozing down his legs.

Not caring what he was doing to his body.

No emotion.

Nothing.

Tears went unheeded as Ben was unable to do anything except move lifelessly against the stone to the violent rhythm of his assailant.

Small whimpers replaced his screams, his throat sore, as Trojjin continued his assault, each thrust becoming faster, harder. Nearly rendering Ben unconscious.

Suddenly, he shook violently as he felt a warm liquid flow through him, burning his insides even more than he could imagine.

Trojjin pulled out of Ben's defiled body and smirked, satisfied with his work. He roughly grabbed Ben by the shoulders and turned him around, him fading in and out of being conscious.

Ben's head was throbbing.

His chest hurt.

His body feeling pain that was previously unimaginable.

The aged man grabbed him by his hair again and sneered at the boy.

"It's a known fact that all slaves should know how to clean. So I suggest you start practicing."

He brought Ben close to his bodily weapon that had just finished brutalizing his body.

More silent tears fell down his face, as he slowly, unwillingly, painfully leaned forward.

Never in his entire life has he felt so…useless. Worthless. _Powerless_.

His spirit was broken. His hands were bound. In every way, for the first time, he was unable to defend himself.

_He was defenseless._

_**He was defenseless.**_

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	3. To Make No Mistakes And Still Lose

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**Silence Underneath**

.three

To Make No Mistakes And Still Lose

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Out of everything that had happened in the past 24 hours, Ben was absolutely certain about one thing.

He felt miserable.

Actually that was an understatement. He felt like shit.

His mind was blank. In denial.

How could this happen?

_Why_ did this happen?

He felt he was being led around the facility like a dog. As they walked toward a large set of doors, Ben felt as if he wasn't really there, walking listlessly to the pull of the chain alone. His eyes burned, barely comprehending his surroundings, everything blurry and bright. It was stinging his retinas as he pained to keep them open. He couldn't even remember leaving his cell after Trojjin had claimed his body as his own in the hour that felt like eternity.

Ben clenched his eyes, his head throbbing, still trying to grasp everything that has happened. He felt so weak, so lifeless. Not only did he feel like shit, he was pretty sure he looked like it too. It took no expert to see he was horribly sore all over his body. His face stung, and have since swelled up into something he would rather not see. And everywhere else…

He opened his eyes slowly and glanced around him. Next to him, Trojjin had large metal cuffs around his hands, similar to his only not permanent, and one around his neck. Ben only had one guard in front of him holding his chains, while his cellmate had four guards, each holding a chain, two connected to his hand cuffs, and two connected to the collar. No doubt he was one of the most physically imposing prisoner here.

Brief scatters of light flashed upon their faces as they rode down a giant elevator of sorts. It clanked every few minutes or so until there was a loud 'THUD', indicating that they had arrived to wherever the destination was. The large metallic doors creaked open to reveal a enormous mess hall, filled with makeshift tables and of course, aliens. The only other time Ben had seen this many disgruntled looking aliens is when he visited the prison planet, Incarcicon. Aliens of every species, some familiar, some not even registered were either passing through the hall led by guards, or being watched by them as they ate.

On instinct, his stomach growled, realizing that he was very much exhausted, and had little to no energy left in his body. He was amazed at the fact himself that he was even able to stand. Barely.

Their guards led them though the mess hall, his feet-his body felt like lead, and nearly dragged him down with every step. Secretly he was glad that they were walking at such a slow pace.

Soon enough they came to a halt, and watched his guard salute to a higher up, who had other numerous aliens with their guards behind him. Even in his weakened state, mentally and physically, he made sure not to look any of the aliens in the eye, especially the larger ones. He didn't want to accidentally anger anyone else. God knows what would happen to him then.

He backtracked his own thought.

'_God doesn't exist here.' _

The guards along with the prisoners, him and Trojjin included, were behind the higher up officer, following him to a large platform that apparently led down to the Cloacina's surface. It was a short distance, but was still enough to send Ben almost nodding off to sleep. It's been nearly a day, and so far, he hasn't been allowed to rest.

A loud clang sent Ben's eyes open, to reveal that they were in some sort of metallic dome with s glass window, or whatever the alien equivalent was. The doors opened, and Ben noticed that he was the only one going out. He swallowed back another nervous feeling.

Once they exited the dome, the guard led him to a extremely tall cliffside. The minerals that composed the rocks in the planet were a shining white, almost silver in color.

The guard turned to him, his eyes sneering.

"This is what you're going to do, Benn'ak. Once you become a Vaxasaurian, you're going to destroy the cliffs around you, until I command you to cease. Understood?"

Ben blinked rapidly, barely able to construct a coherent sentence.

"W-what? What do you-"

His armored hand shot out and grabbed Ben forcefully by the neck and pulled him close.

"You are going to do as I say, slave. You will become the Vaxasaurian in the Omnitrix, and you will destroy the cliffside until I command you to cease. Am I understood?"

Immediately Ben flinched from the sudden and harsh contact, yelping as the guard grabbed his neck. His eyes shut instantly and was scarcely able to whisper his reply.

"_Y-yes s-sir…_"

"Good."

As he put him down, the guard signaled with his hand in the air and another guard rode up in some kind of hover bike, picking up his guard and taking him back to the dome. Once again, he felt that sinking feeling in his stomach. His body worn out and tired, he had to do his best not to fall over. He saw the alien sentinel push a button on the remote control on his arm guard, which caused Ben's cuffs to separate. Another button was pushed, and before he could blink, a horrible, searing pain rippled throughout his body like lightning.

Ben fell to his knees, his screams of pain echoed across the landscape. Tears poured down his face as he felt his muscles spasm out of control, now fully on the ground. Twitching as the light burned in his chest and moved outward. Replicating the possible feeling of someone being ripped apart into fours. He felt his blood boil as a familiar liquid surged through them, taking over his own and turning him into one of his aliens that he knew so dearly.

A green flash fully engulfed him, feeling himself grow to a gigantic height, finally realizing that they were turning him into Humongousaur. The pain alone nearly caused him to pass out, right then and there. The light died down, and Ben looked mournfully at his hands, seeing the cuffs had grown with him. For the first time, looking at his now large, orange, scaly hands, he had never felt more alien in his entire life. He hated it.

Now that he was his biggest and strongest alien, he could have ran. He could have smashed every single one of those bastards to pieces and destroy the facility. He could have done all those things with ease.

But instead, Ben merely obeyed.

At this point, his eyesight started to fail him, so in a blind rage he clenched his fist and started to destroy anything that was before him. Ben couldn't remember exactly how long this went on, or what he even did. A blurred light filled his eyes, and could only see large amounts of rubble flying through the air as he violently smashed the cliffside, or at least he hoped so.

Then there was another flash and a white searing pain tore through his body again, indicating that the warden wanted him to stop his 'job'. But instead of feeling human flesh, he screamed again realizing that his body was shrinking and another familiar alien's DNA structure morphed his own. Everything suddenly became terribly loud, and felt his vocal cords being torn apart and being put back together, forming the alien he knew as Echo Echo, who was unbeknownst to him, a Sonorosian.

As if on instinct, or perhaps being controlled like a puppet, he lifted his head back and let out a ear-splitting scream, causing certain rocks amidst the rubble to glow, which he only assumed to be Sonarite. Soon the previously barren landscape was now covered with rocks and Sonarite, which glowed and shined with brilliance, giving it the illusion of it being a serene heaven, even though it was a god-forsaken hellhole.

Another flash engulfed his body, and felt his skin being returned to him. Pain was dancing in and out of his muscles, and finally disabled the use of his legs as he fell to the ground, naked, since the forceful maneuver of entering foreign DNA into his own removed the familiarity status between him and his aliens, causing them to rip off everything that was on him but the accursed handcuffs.

The higher up alien and his guard rode over to him on the hover bike, as he watched the other alien slaves retrieve the 'precious mineral'. The higher up threw a set of replacement clothes on top of him and sneered.

"You get a half hour to eat. You resumed work after wards. Now get up."

Ben nearly gagged in disbelief. They expected _more_ out of him? They wanted him to do it again? He was afraid that the pain alone would kill him, as he could barely move a muscle to do _anything. _

The warden sneered again, more dangerously this time.

"Did you not hear me Benn'ak? _**Get up**_."

He whimpered in response, and somehow was able to get the loose pants on and barely put on the shirt before his cuffs connected and was jerked upwards, which would have caused him to yell if his throat wasn't so sore. The warden hooked the chain onto his cuffs and pushed him toward the direction of his guard.

"Take the pathetic life form to the mess hall."

His voice was venom, and stung Ben's ears with such a horrible truth.

He climbed above the hover bike, and was driven back to the station, riding up the lift and into the gigantic mess hall. A table was already chosen for Ben, as one of the guards subordinates slammed a tray filled with a disgusting array of "food" onto his picked dining area.

The guard merely said, "Eat." Before he went to the other side of the room to watch him.

Ben could only sigh. He was miserable. He was in pain. He ached. He was sore. He looked at the alien substance before him sadly, and looked away dejectedly.

Despite being exhausted in every way possible, he could not bring himself to eat. In a room filled with aliens, all bigger than him, all tougher than him, he felt so small. So _human_, in the midst of extraterrestrial life forms, even though there were a few other humans here as well, they acted like monsters.

His eyes were dull, staring down at the 'sad excuse for food' they had given him. At the top of his eye, he noticed something sit across from him. And due to all things considered, he was honestly surprised when he heard it talk.

"You should eat your food, little one."

The voice wasn't mean, the voice wasn't harsh. It was kind, worried, caring, and _female_.

_Caring…_

He spoke the only name that was running through his clouded mind.

"Gwen?"

-

* * *

-


	4. Because It Is Doesn’t Mean it Should Be

-

* * *

-

**Silence Underneath**

.four

Because It Is Doesn't Mean it Should Be

-

* * *

-

"_I'm proud of you Ben. You could've totally gone alien on that creep." _

"_I'm sure we can take out a couple DNAliens without you."_

"_I'm not going to let you fight that thing by yourself!" _

"_Ben, something's wrong. What's wrong?"_

"_Ben, are you okay? Ben?"_

"_Are you sure?" _

"_You needed help?"_

"_You know I'm here for you."_

"_Ben, what happened with you back there?"_

"_I'd say I'd miss you, but I wouldn't want to lie."_

"_See what happens when you listen Ben, and think."_

"_You know what... it wasn't the watch that was special, it was you." _

_-  
_

"Are you alright, little one?"

Ben's eyes snapped open and blinked several times before the image before him became clear, only to find that his ears, like everything else, had played a cruel, cruel trick on him.

It wasn't Gwen.

Instead, it was a tall, tan, muscular alien of an unknown species. She had a small animal like snout, large rabbit like ears, whose fur thankfully covered her notable breast. Though the feature that stood out to him the most were her eyes. They were a brilliant, yet striking color of jade. Looking into her deep pools somehow calmed him. He felt no reason to be afraid, to be scared. It reminded him of home.

He realized he was staring at the female alien and looked away, embarrassed.

"I-I'm sorry."

She smiled softly.

"It's alright little one. It always break my heart when they bring in children. If I may ask, what is you name?

Even living in a hellhole like this, Ben could sense the politeness and formality in her speech. Physically, she looked like every other demon in this prison, but unlike the others, she sounded like she generally wanted to help him. Her voice put him at ease.

He slowly turned his head to face her, fatigue clearly showing on his worn face. He focused on her though his messy bangs.

"It's…It's Benn'ak."

Her eyes looked at him sadly, implying she knew the true meaning of his name. She gave him a small smile, and motioned her hand toward herself.

"My name is Irissin. You can call me Iris, if you desire."

He lifted his head fully, and looked at her face to face, noticing her hand moving toward him, and before he even realized it, he flinched away as if on instinct. She drew her hand back sharply, but never once had a look of pity on her face.

"I'm sorry little one."

Ben looked back down, hiding his face from her in shame. Even though she clearly wasn't going to hurt him, he couldn't stop him self from shying away from any physical contact he could avoid.

Iris sighed sadly, knowing that she made the mistake of misjudging the amount of hatred that Rokknar held against younglings. She lowered her head, in hopes of catching his gaze once again.

She spoke softly. "Would it be alright if I called you Benny?

He looked up and nodded slightly.

She smiled again. "Now Benny, if you don't me asking, why did Rokknar bring you here?"

"If brought you mean kidnap-" He started before coughing, his throat raw from earlier events. He gently cleared his throat before talking again, quietly this time. "I…I was brought here because I wear the Omnitrix. That's it."

A look of shock flickered in her eyes. "The Omnitrix? You hail from planet Earth, don't you?"

Ben shook his head sadly in response. "Yeah..."

She made the notion to stroke his hair, a motherly habit that she had come accustomed to, before stopping herself and recalling her hand.

"My entire family and everyone else that I know thinks I'm dead. I wish Rokknar would have killed me and taken the Omnitrix instead of keeping me here. I can't-I can't…"

As he went on, he voice began to falter, the whole, unavoidable, harsh truth finally hitting him.

To everyone back home, he was dead.

He was a slave.

He was a toy.

He was powerless.

He was weak.

He was alone.

He was scared.

He was defenseless.

He was useless.

He was pathetic.

He was dirt.

He was _nothing_.

"Benny, no!" Iris leaned in closer, as close as she could be without touching him, even though she dearly wanted to.

"Benny, Benny, listen to me. You cannot think like that. You're family, they are still alive, correct? Then you can still go back to Earth! Just knowing that they are alive, knowing that they are still there, you cannot submit to this place!"

Coherent sentences were impossible at this point.

"Why? Wh-why should- why should I? I-I -"

"Benny, listen to me. You cannot succumb to death you-"

"Y-you don't know! After-after-I-I c-can't! Trojjin-AAUGH!"

Without even noticing him, the guard came up behind Ben and violently pulled him up by his hair, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Break is over, slave. Time to get back to work."

"_**Wait!**_"

The guard and his subordinates turned to see Iris standing with her arm desperately outstretched.

"You fools do not realize what you are doing to this poor boy are you? He is a human! He does not function the way we do! If you continue to overwork him pass his limit any longer he will die! Then Rokknar will lose his best chance of acquiring more Sonarite!"

"Silence, slave! How dare you speak out of turn-"

"Hold it."

The subordinate guard stopped the guard that was holding Ben and whispered.

"The Fharahan has a point. Rokknar did mention to keep the boy alive, and she seems to know humans customs."

They looked back and Iris who firmly stood her ground. "Please, he needs healing, he needs water, he needs _rest_."

After a moment, Ben's guard scoffed and let go, causing Ben to fall and hit the table. He grabbed his arm, and hooked the chain onto the cuffs. He signaled to the subordinate while yanking him up.

"Take Benn'ak and the Fharahan to the Mineral Springs, and take the food. The inferior being didn't eat any. You, Fharahan. How long does his species need to rest for?"

"12, sir." She said, before walking over to the other side of the table and getting her cuffs put on.

"He gets **five**. Now get them out of my site."

The other guard nodded, and led Iris and Ben down a dark hallway away from the cafeteria for a long while before reaching an room that was exposed to the planet's surface. It had giant pools of water that had billows of steam rising up. The guard unhooked them and said,

"I'll be watching, so don't take long" Before shoving them inside, and throwing the tray of uneaten food on the ground. Very lightly, Iris touched Ben's shoulder, and slowly removed the loose shirt before picking him up gently and setting him in the water, easing down behind him while setting him on her lap.

All this without a single reaction.

Suddenly she felt his head lean against her chest, and his eyes close. Out of habit, she wrapped her arm around his small, frail body, and began stroking his hair.

Ben let out a soft whisper. If it wasn't for her large ears, she wouldn't have been able to hear what he said.

"_Mom…_"

After a day that seemed like forever, he finally drifted off to sleep while in a foreign, yet welcomed warm embrace.

Iris pulled him closer, and held him in the familiar position like a mother would when holding her baby boy.

"I promise you, Benny. You will live, and I will protect you. I will take you back home."

-

**--**

-

Ben awoke violently.

He didn't remember anything after the Mineral Springs, and even that was blurry, so he came to the conclusion that he must have actually fallen asleep. Whatever happened, he was now in his cell, with a severely angry Trojjin on top of him.

His eyes clamped shut as jolts of pain ran through his body as Trojjin pounded into him faster and faster. He had Ben's legs spread wide apart, and held a firm grip on his hips and faced him instead of having him on his back. As the thrust picked up speed, he punched Ben in the face in the exact same spot, causing the bruise that was healed to come back.

Ben yelled in response, and was grabbed viciously by the neck to turn and face his cellmate in the eye.

"What makes _you_ so important, slave? Just because you're _young_ and _human_, you get the special treatment?!"

At that there was a particularly hard thrust, causing Ben to cringe under Trojjin's hold.

"I was worked to death _every single damn day_, and you get a break?! Not under my watch, Benn'ak."

He wanted to scream. He wanted to fight.

But despite what was happening to him, and everything that has happened, he allowed the silence underneath his skin to rise and control him. Just like how Rokknar controls everyone on this planet, and how Trojjin controls him. Ben knew what he had to do, finally understanding what Iris meant.

He had to get back home.

He had to survive.

Which meant he had to _adapt_.

In order to do that, he had to let himself be Trojjin's toy. He had to obey him, he had to submit to him.

And never ever fight.

As his cellmate continued to use his body again and again, with no intentions of stopping, Ben curled himself up in his mind and left to visit home.

It was the only thing he could do.

-

"_When I was five Grandpa brought me here, and I caught a teeny tiny fish. He wanted me to release it but I put up a big fuss. I guess I never had an easy time letting go."_

_-_

* * *

-


	5. To Sleep, To Dream? Perchance

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* * *

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**Silence Underneath**

.five

To Sleep, To Dream? Perchance

-

* * *

-

"Julie!"

At the call of her name, Julie spun around with wide, sparkling eyes. Her father had to go on a short meeting trip in Colorado, AKA the most boring state on the planet, and unfortunately she had to go along as well.

While her parents loaded suitcases, and other essentials into the car for the upcoming flight, she stood in the yard holding Ship, who was in the shape of a cell phone at the time, in the safe contents of her purse. Upon seeing her boyfriend run happily up to her, she couldn't help but smile.

"Ben! You made it!"

They hugged tightly, and ended with Ben picking her up lightly and spinning her around. He put her down, his arms staying glued to her waist.

"Of course I came! You don't think I would miss seeing you off before a boring flight, did you? Plus, I HAD to see you before you left, or else I wouldn't get my Julie fulfillment for the day!"

Julie giggled and gently punched in in the shoulder. "Shut up you goof! I'm only gonna be gone for two weeks, I'm not leaving forever. But really Ben, I'm really glad you came."

He leaned forward and Eskimo kissed her nose in response. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Julie!" Her mom called from the car, waving like any mother would. "Come on sweetie, or we're going to be late!"

"Okay mom!"

Ben let go of her waist and held her hands in his, his olive eyes meeting her chestnut ones.

She smiled compassionately, and swung her arms with his. "I better go. Promise you'll keep in touch so I won't die of boredom?"

He grinned. "I promise. But Julie, before you go…"

Ben gently pulled her closer, and gave her a sweet, passionate kiss. She kissed back lovingly, never wanting to let go.

Finally they pulled apart, and touched her forehead with his. "Have a safe trip, okay?"

"I will."

Their hands parted, and Ben resorted to waving goodbye as she ran to the car and got in, waving as well.

Ben smiled confidently and happily as he started the walk back home.

"I have a good feeling about this month."

-

--

-

"Kevin, you know Gwen's birthday is coming up, don't you?"

"CRAP! Seriously? Man, I have NO idea what to get her!"

Ben rolled his eyes and hopped up on the table that Kevin had in his garage. He rolled out from under his precious car and scratched his head.

"What they heck does Gwen like? Books, clothes, talismans? She already HAS all of that! Man what am I gonna do?"

"You know one thing that she doesn't have? A BOY."

Kevin shot a glare as he stood up. "Not funny Tennyson!"

The brunette haired boy shrugged and crossed his arms. "Wasn't trying to be."

The older boy sighed and walked over to the table, joining Ben by leaning on it.

"What if I blow it man?"

"Am I seriously hearing this? Fearless mighty Kevin Levin, being afraid of shot down BY A GIRL THAT ALREADY LIKES HIM? Come on dude, use your manly sense. If you were even gifted with any."

"Shut it!"

Kevin punched him in the arm, which lead to Ben falling off.

"This is what I like to see everyday. The finest form of male bonding."

"Gwen!"

She walked over to Ben to help him off the floor while Kevin hastily jumped straight. "I thought you said you couldn't be here till later?"

"It is later, Kevin."

Ben silently smirked and headed out of the garage. "I'll see you two later."

"So uh Gwen…I was wondering…" Kevin awkwardly scratched his head and looked down. "I uh, I heard you're birthday is comin' up."

Her eyebrows raised and she sent him a odd look. He responded with a surprised one.

"What?"

"Kevin my birthday is four months from now, but it's nice of you remember…sorta."

His eyes dangerously glowered as he used his hands to try to cover up his face.

"_**Tennyson…**_"

Ben couldn't help bursting out into laughter. Realizing he gave away his position, and dashed away from the garage and towards his house with a furious Kevin on his tail.

-

--

-

_12. Who are some of the greatest leaders in US history? _

Ben scratched his head with the end of his pencil, with his foot tapping in impatience.

'_Oh my god, my mind is totally blank. I wish Julie was here.'_

He sighed, irritably and started to doodle on his test instead. When the bell rang, everyone got up to turn in their test, with Ben being the last.

As soon as she looked at his paper, the teacher tried to call his name, but found that he had dashed out the door. She puzzlingly looked for the answer for number 12, only to find his doodle of snake.

"What a strange boy."

-

--

-

"Ben!!"

The cries of his mother became louder as she burst into his room, frantically flipping on the light switch, only to find her son laying on the ground sweating feverishly.

"Oh my god Ben honey!"

She was swiftly at his side and picked him up, laying him on her lap and against her chest with one hand on his forehead, the other dearly cradling him.

He whispered, barely.

"_Mom…_"

Soon after Carl burst and rushed to Ben's side. "Sandra! What happened?"

"I don't know! This is the third time this week! He's burning up!"

His eyes twitched and spoke in fragmented sentences, sweat pouring down his face.

"_Horrible…horrible…planet…it burns…I can't…_"

Tears formed in Sandra's eyes as she hugged her son closer to her. "Carl, what does this mean?"

"I don't know, it could be anything. But now we have to cool him off. Take him to the tub, and I'll whip up some warm milk."

She nodded, picking Ben up the best she could, and carrying him to the bathroom. She turned on the cold water for the shower and gently laid him in the tub, leaning his head against some towels.

The cool water splashed across his face, drenching his body and clothes. Sandra took a small washcloth and placed it against his forehead and his eyes.

Very slowly they fluttered open, revealing very, very tired eyes.

"Mom?"

"Oh Ben sweetie, you're awake thank god!" She lightly hugged him, before getting up.

"This is the third time this has happened, I'm calling the hospital-"

"No mom don't!"

He grabbed the sleeve of her shirt, weakly tugging it back down.

"It's-it's okay mom…really. It was just a dream."

"A Dream?!" She back on her knees and held his hand in hers. "Ben, a dream doesn't cause a person to fall out of their beds three nights in a row and break into a cold sweat!"

"Mom…"

"I got the milk Sandra!"

Carl ran into the bathroom, milk and crackers in hand and set them down on the sink.

"Ben! You're awake! Are you okay, son?"

"Yeah dad, I'm fine."

"Carl, Ben doesn't want to go to the hospital! I'm worried!"

His dad furrowed his brow with slight worry and leaned down close to Ben, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Son, are you sure you're alright?"

Ben nodded and sighed. "I'm okay dad. I just need to walk it off. I think I'll go sit on the roof. Can you help me up?"

His father nodded and helped him up, careful to not let him slip. Instantly his mother gave him the glass of warm milk and hugged him. Afterward, he headed over to his room to change and started the climb to the roof through the window.

"I'll be up there a while okay? Don't stay up." And then he was gone.

He sat with his knees up, his arms hugging them as tired emerald pools watched the sun slowly rise as morning arrived. The glass of milk sat beside him as some sort of twisted company, but he dare not drink it in fear of falling asleep again.

-

--

-

"Mom! I'm going to library! Since Julie isn't back yet, Gwen is gonna help me study."

"That's great honey, be back before dinner!"

" I will!"

-

--

-

"Ben, something's wrong. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, Gwen."

"Pfft."

"What does that mean, Kevin?"

"It means Tennyson, that you are a crappy liar, and when something's wrong I can read it off your face like a book."

"Kevin's right for once, Ben. You don't look too good. What's wrong?"

"It's nothing really. I…I just have a bad feeling about this."

"Ben, do you want to sit this one out? I'm sure we can take out a couple DNAliens without you."

"I'm fine."

"This is the police! Come out with your hands up!"

"No wait! I'm-"

"DON'T MOVE!"

"**BEN!**"

-

--

-

The light flickered on and off.

The glow reflected off his eyes as his listlessly watched the ceiling. Every now and then he would glance over to look at Trojjin to see if he slept. He made a note that even when he was unconscious, the grumpy frown remained on his face.

Ben sighed, his eyes red and heavy. After wanting to sleep for so long, he was rejecting it from his body. Trying to stay awake as long as he could for some reason even he didn't know.

Slowly, he climbed onto his rock bed and rolled over to his side. Finally letting his body succumb to sleep, he closed his eyes. He tried to dream of happier places like he did before. At the time it was easy.

But no dreams came that night. It's not that he didn't want to, it was because he simply couldn't remember.

-

* * *

-


	6. The Fool Who Believes in the Fool

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* * *

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**Silence Underneath**

.six

The Fool Who Believes in the Fool

-

* * *

-

One day.

It had only been one _fucking_ day.

In the events of that day, Ben's life had changed in more ways than he could ever comprehend. In that day, he was taken from his home, thought to be dead, used, forced into slave labor to the point of exhaustion, and used again.

_**One. Fucking. Day.**_

Benjamin Tennyson was no longer his name. It no longer belonged to him. His new name, or rather, his '_label' _was Benn'ak. _Slave. _It's what he became. It's what he is.

If it was any other occasion, he would slap the Omnitrix and all his troubles would be over with, easy as that. But this time there was nothing he could do about it, all because he was a stupid, pathetic, worthless, useless human being.

He never even tried to fight. Oh no. In order to live in this hellhole, he had to adapt. Sit back and be the good little slave and follow orders. Obey Rokknar. Obey Trojjin. To their every whim and desire.

Even if he did do something it wouldn't matter. He was certain it would only make the situation worse.

He would still wake up to Trojjin..

He would still be a slave.

The pain would never ever stop.

Becoming part of Trojjin's routine was the only way he could secure his survival. He had to survive. He may have sacrificed his body, but he refused to let his mind succumb to the depths of hell.

Not again.

Irissin saved him the first time. She calls him Benny and he calls her Iris. Further names to isolate themselves from Rokknar's hold on them all.

When he first met her, his mind, his sanity was hanging by its threads, barely clinging on. The guards tried to take him away to work, but she stood up for him, having a unusual wide knowledge of human needs. But that wasn't how she saved him.

She saved him because she sent him home. If only for a little while.

Out of a muscular and intimidating body, came a sweet, caring voice that reminded him of his mother.

It was only for a minute, but in that minute… he was in his mother's arms.

And that was more than he could ever ask for.

-

Morning came soon enough, with Ben waking up and finding himself pushed against the wall, hitting it with each thrust.

He stayed still. He stayed silent.

Since arriving the planet Cloacina, he could never keep track of time anymore. He waited until Trojjin was finished, who soon after dropped him to the ground. Ben slowly lifted himself off the floor and grabbed the rags the prison had given him.

He barely pulled the filthy pants over his legs before the guards walked in and put Trojjin in his cuffs, and connecting chains to his, leading both out of their cell without a single word.

Work came and went. Less painful than his first experience, but still painful none the less. They made him repeat the process. First Humongousaur, then Echo Echo. Destroy the cliff, locate the rocks. As an extra surprise, they changed him into Chromastone to give the Sentinel Vehicles an indefinite amount of energy.

The green glow of the Omnitrix engulfed him as he became human again, his knees buckled from under him almost immediately and crashed to the ground, sending dust clouds spiraling around him.

Ben weakly looked up, and watched all the other aliens do their jobs, which were made ten times easier due to his 'help'.

He watched Trojjin lift three giant pieces of crystal onto his shoulders and tossing them into a giant metal container of sorts. A Chimera Sui Genesis carried several small pieces and one big one, following Trojjin's motion and tossed them in.

He recognized a Vulpimancer. A Loboan. At least one of each species that he had seen in the Omnitrix, and a plethora of others as well. All holding a grim expression, all looking, almost bored.

Amongst the sea of aliens, he spotted Iris, digging up covered crystals with one hand, and tucking them underneath her arms.

A slight smile appeared on his face and he pulled his shirt over his face again, but it quickly vanished. His ears perking up to the sound behind him. Two guards whispering.

"_**So what do you think of Rokknar's new find? In my opinion, I think it's pathetic."**_

"_**I think it's a waste to have still alive. He just should have let me rip that device from his arm and kill him. Put it to better use than using it on some human."**_

"_**You heard right? The slave is Trojjin's new pet."**_

"_**It won't last a month."**_

"_**Feh. I doubt it will even last a week."**_

"_**It lasted a day so far with Trojjin, maybe we should help kill it faster."**_

"_**Rokknar said to keep the boy alive, Geiruen."**_

"_**Fine then. Let's just have some fun. Cloacina knows how long that has been."**_

Ben froze.

Every hair on his body stood up on end.

'_No no no no no not them too!'_

"Geiruen! Rehal! Take Benn'ak back to the mess hall. All the other slaves are heading in! Pay attention!

"Yes Sentinel!"

They grabbed Ben fiercely by the arm and reattached his cuffs, pushing him onto the hover bike. They reached the landing area and then the mess hall. Leaving his cuffs on as a guard dropped a tray food in front of him. Just like before.

As he sat down, his eyes lit up when he gazed at the company in front of him.

"Iris!"

"Hello Benny. You seem to be faring a bit better today. You will eat this time, correct?"

He couldn't help but smile a bit. "Yes, I'll eat. And I guess I knew what to expect today. Not like anything is gonna change."

Her ears drooped slightly as she reached across the table to touch the only part of his hand that was visible. His fingertips.

"Benny, please don't say that. You mustn't give up hope. Not-"

"Iris, can I ask your opinion on something?"

"She blinked. Of course"

Ben sighed sadly and looked up at her. His eyes tired and gray.

"Who's the bigger fool? The fool, or the fool who believes in him?"

Her gaze intensified and tightened her hold on his hand. "Benny you are **not** a fool."

A forced grin crept upon his miserable visage. "A friend from home used to call me one all the time. He used to be my enemy, but I guess he kinda turned into a friend when it boiled down to it."

"Home?" Her eyes widened. "You mean Earth?"

"Yeah… Iris I was wondering, how did you know so much about humans? I mean, yesterday you seemed to grasp the concept of sleep pretty well. If you don't mind me asking."

"Oh no, not at all." She smiled, this time with a hint of sadness. "For a short amount of time I spent on Earth, three years I imagine, I was married to a handsome Plumber named Derek Sorrenson. We had a child…his name was Kevin."

Ben's eyes widened. "Kevin?"

"Yes. He was taken from us when he was very young, four or five years of age. The same people who kidnapped him killed my husband, while I escaped. Rokknar found me a couples years later and enslaved me here. In human years, I believe it has been 40 or so."

"Iris…I-I don't know to say…I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry little one. Really."

"Don't take this the wrong way…but I figured you were a mother… you reminded me of mine."

Smiling, she grasped his hand in a protective yet gentle grip. "I'm glad, Benny."

She let go of his hand to eat the food that was on her tray and Ben did the same only more tentatively. Soon after, Iris folded her hands under he chin and looked at Ben with wide eyes.

"If you wouldn't mind Benny… tell me more about your family."

Ben smiled as well. Immensely enjoying the air of tranquility and peace that he had felt the night before. Slightly, he leaned forward.

"First I'll start with my cousin Gwen."

"Gwen?"

"Short for Gwendolyn."

"What a lovely name!"

"For the longest time we both thought that she was able to use magic, but it turned out that our Grandmother was an alien. Gwen had Anodite powers manifesting inside of her."

"Extraordinary."

"And then there's Kevin Levin. He's not family, he was the friend I was talking about earlier."

Slowly she nodded. "I see."

Ben told her about his powers, his past history. About what he, Gwen and Kevin used to do. He talked about his family history, on how he had a grandfather who was also a plumber. He talked about school. He talked about his fights. He talked about Julie.

Before both of them even realized it, break was over and they got sent of to work. As the guards pulled Ben along, he found himself looking back at Iris every few steps when a sudden realization hit him…

He had become completely and utterly dependent on her.

-

* * *

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End file.
